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Chapter 5

I was allowed to get a dog.

I had asked my mom if I could get one, and she told me to ask my father. I had thought it was the end of the idea, but he surprisingly agreed. "Maybe it'll bring a little hope around here," he had said.

I was given permission Tuesday night. At lunch on Wednesday, I made my announcement. "My parents said I could get a dog," I said.

Lisanna squealed in delight and began gushing to Cana and Erza about what kind "we" would get, what to name it, and how often she would see it. I tried to ignore her because I knew she had good intentions.

"What kind will you get?" Jellal asked. I shrugged, so he supplied, "A labrador would be cool. They're big, but not too big."

"Yeah, that sounds nice," I said. "Oh, and I was thinking about getting a boy. I thought I'd see if I liked them."

Gray choked on his tomato soup, food that fit his vegan diet. I pat his back, trying to help him. Jellal gave the two of us a strange look. I remembered the thoughtful look he had when I told him I didn't like Lisanna, and I wondered if he was thinking the same thing as that night, whatever it was.

Just as Gray stopped choking, Lucy came over to the table, dragging a blue-haired girl with her. I already knew who she was: Levy McGarden. She was a total bookworm, and she was the top student in our graduating class. She had dyed her hair blue our Sophomore year as a way to rebel against the world, and the color had stuck. She has had blue hair ever since, a marker of the only rebellious time in her life.

"Everyone, you know Levy. Levy, this is my brother, Gray," Lucy said, introducing the two. I noticed that Lucy always said Gray was her step-brother unless she had ulterior motives, and then she said he was her brother.

Gray just nodded and went back to eating his soup. Lucy didn't seem to mind, and she and Levy sat down at our table. "Who all is going to the Halloween dance?" Lucy asked.

"Erza and Jellal are going together, of course. Cana is still dateless," Lisanna said, answering for the group. She lowered her voice slightly, just loud enough that we could all still here, and said, "Natsu will be asking me soon, of course."

"Great!" Lucy said with a bright smile. "Gray, I think you'd really like Levy."

Gray raised an eyebrow, clearly not impressed with his sister's plan. Her smile didn't falter, and I wondered if they had a silent battle. If they did, then Lucy won, because Gray sighed and went back to his soup.

X

That night, my whole family went to the pet shelter. My sister was bouncing her legs in the car from excitement. My mother chided her not to get too excited because I was the one getting the dog, but she also didn't bother hiding her joy, either. My dad had a small smile on his face as he looked out the car window.

Jellal had recommended a labrador, but I wanted to keep my options open. There were many dogs, and my only wish was for it to be a boy. I saw dogs of all ages, and I had a hard time deciding.

My sister pointed a small pug out to me, which is when I noticed the husky in the next cage over. He was all gray, darker on the top and lighter on the bottom. He was fully grown and male. To top it off, he had big blue eyes that stared up at me. I smiled, and he walked to the edge of his cage. I took that as a sign.

We purchased the dog for fifty dollars, bought a collar, leash, bowls, and a small bag of dog food. We took him home, and the first thing I asked was to take him on a walk. My parents said I could as long as I took Sherria.

"We're going to Wendy's house, right?" Sherria asked. I smiled, and she smiled back.

Wendy, Lucy, and Levy were sitting on the porch talking. Not surprisingly, Silver was standing in the yard with a whistle between his lips. He nodded at me when he saw me, then turned back to the side of the house. After a moment, Gray came running around the building. He didn't notice me and kept running around the other side. When he came back around the second time, Silver blew his whistle. Gray dropped to the ground, did ten push-ups, then started running again. The next time around, my dog barked, making Gray stop running. He smiled when he saw us.

"Can I take a break?" Gray asked. I was surprised because usually, he spoke to me by force. This time, he was the one to offer. He was probably excited about seeing my new dog.

"Don't stop, Gray!" Lucy called. "Levy wants more eye candy!" Levy squealed, playfully slapping Lucy.

Silver told Gray he could stop as long as they practiced after dinner. Gray said that was fine and jogged over to me. Sherria smiled at me before joining her friend on the porch.

"So this is her?" Gray asked, sitting on the ground to pet my husky.

"It's a boy," I said. "I wanted to see if I liked them, remember?" I scratched my nose to hide my pink cheeks.

"What's his name?" he asked. I shrugged, which made him roll his eyes. "What about Frosty? It matches his eyes."

"I like it," I said. I hadn't expected Gray to name my dog, but I also wasn't surprised that he thought of a perfect name. "I think his name was Jasper or something before. Totally didn't fit him."

Gray laughed, and my stomach fluttered. Unlike in the woods when I initially asked if Gray liked boys when his laugh was loud and hard, this laugh was light and airy. I never wanted it to stop.

"Come on, let's go around back. There's probably a few sticks he can play with," Gray said. He grabbed Frosty's leash and started walking, and I quickly followed. He laid on the ground with Frosty and started rubbing his stomach. Frosty let out a smile whine, a happy one, and leaned closer to him.

"Careful, or I'm going to think you like my dog more than me," I said, sitting down beside the pair.

"That isn't possible," Gray said. He didn't look up at me, and I wondered if he was joking or not.

I scooted closer to him and helped him pet Frosty. My dog seemed to love the attention, which made me smile. I may have only said I wanted a dog to explain my awkward question to Gray about liking boys, but I had become very excited about the idea.

"How's your arm?" Gray asked. He reached over and pulled up my sleeve. My arm only had a faint pink line now, so it was healing quite nicely. "I'm glad it healed. I'm sorry I was so freaked out. I just hate injuries and blood."

I could barely focus on what he was saying. All I was thinking about was the last time Lisanna held my hand. I thought it felt awkward, her hands too soft. Gray's hands were gentle, yes, but they had a roughness to them. He made me feel safe just with a single touch, and I wondered if that was his will to protect people, to protect me.

"Gray," I said, not sure what else to say but his name. He looked up at me, and my heart began beating faster. Lisanna had never made my heart race like that, and I didn't like the feeling. I put a hand on my heart, willing it to slow down.

Gray put his hand over mine, which made my heart beat even faster. We looked at each other for a minute, taking in the situation. He was as thoughtful as always, and I wanted to know what he was thinking.

Frosty licked Gray's face, making his glasses fly off and breaking our trance. We both laughed, and I picked up the glasses while Gray wrestled Frosty down. I loved watching the two play. Gray seemed to enjoy dogs, and I was happy I could bring another into his life. He had told me before that his family used to have a dog and she died when he was young.

"Are you going to ask Levy to the Halloween dance?" I asked. Lucy had seemed very interested in the two talking at lunch, and she probably had Levy come over so the two could get closer.

"I don't have much of choice," Gray said. "If I don't ask her now, I'll look like a jerk. Lucy has stressed the idea so much. On our walk home, she kept saying how cute we looked next to each other. I'm sure Levy is a nice girl, but I'm just not interested."

"Levy is really nice," I said. "She's very girly and sweet."

"I don't want girly," Gray said. "I want to be able to protect people, yes, but I don't want to think about it constantly. I don't have to worry about Lucy all the time because she's tough. I need someone like that."

"You want to date your sister?" I said. We both started laughing, and it was nice.

"You know what I mean! I just can't always have my guard up. I need to be able to relax sometimes," he said. Frosty brought a stick over to him, so he threw it across the yard. "My mom always said I was so strong for wrestling, and I loved that feeling. She used always said I was her strong protector, and for a small, weak kid like me, that was everything."

"What happened?" I whispered. I thought if I spoke softly enough, the truth wouldn't be as painful to hear.

"She and I were driving back from wrestling practice one day, and we got into a terrible accident," he explained. "I don't remember it that well. I guess I blacked-out. The police said she must have moved to grab me or something, because I woke up with her on my lap, covered in blood. They used the Jaws of Life to open up the car, and she was dead when they pulled her out."

I didn't say anything. I was used to hearing tragic stories, but I never knew what to say. Almost everyone I knew had lost at least one parent, usually in terrible ways. "My dad has lung cancer," I said. "He seems to be doing okay, but I know that he won't live much longer."

"How do you know?" Gray asked. He didn't seem to mind me talking about my parent, rather than his.

"Everyone loses one parent by the time they graduate," I said. "It's the town's curse."

"A curse?" Gray asked. He didn't look like he wanted to laugh, even though most people do when I tell them I think Magnolia is cursed.

"Lisanna already lost both of her parents in eighth grade. Two years ago, Erza's parents and Jellal's mother died in a plane crash when they were leaving Magnolia on a business trip. Cana's mother died giving birth to her, conveniently out of town. My dad has lung cancer. No one can leave town, and one parent always dies."

He probably thought I was crazy, but he didn't say it directly. He simply avoided the topic. "Do you think I should go to the dance with Levy?" he asked.

"Do you like her?" I asked. I was hoping he'd say no.

"No, I think I like someone else," he said. He stood up and grabbed handed me Frosty's leash. "Dinner is going to be ready soon, so you should probably head home."

That night, I laid awake staring at my ceiling, thinking about who he liked.